50th Reunion Centennial Class Honors Smith College Sesquicentennial, Confirms Legacy & Remembers Classmates No Longer With Us

A Special Friendship, a Special Gift:
Caroline (Kim) Hessberg Taylor ’75 has donated $150,000 to establish the Elizabeth “Lisa” Burton Ericson, Class of 1975, Endowed Scholarship Fund.

Kim’s gift, which will be added to our overall 50th Reunion fundraising total, honors her dear friend Lisa, whom she met on their first day at Smith in the Emerson House living room. Kim was inspired by Lisa’s dedication toward all things Reunion for the Class of ’75, including her part in organizing the remarkable monthly Zooms with classmates in a staggering variety of fields and approaches to life.

Caroline (Kim) Hessberg Taylor (L) and Lisa Burton Ericson (R),
celebrating 2024 Rally Day together on Smith Campus

Now, we hope we can count on your support to follow in making a gift in honor of a dear friend from college days. This is an opportunity to benefit the class of ’75 as well as a deserving student simultaneously.

Will you make your gift to Smith today and help us reach our 60% participation goal? Like Kim, you can make your gift in honor or memory of a Smith friend who has made a difference in your life.

Let’s come together to celebrate the deep bonds forged at Smith and make our 50th Milestone Reunion truly special.

If you have not already done so, now is the time to dig deep and consider a stretch gift or pledge in honor of our 50th. Please note that if you pledge an amount now, to be paid over the next five years, the full amount will count towards our 50th Reunion gift. To contribute online click here, call 1-800-241-2056, or mail a check made out to Smith College to Smith College Gift Accounting, 33 Elm St, Northampton, MA 01063.

The Centennial Class of 1975 Endowed Scholarship Fund can be found as the second designation on the online site and there is a space for gifts in honor of or in memory of others. If calling to make a donation or mailing a check, please add a note or mention the designation and if the gift is in memory or in honor of someone.

Thank you again for your generosity and support!

What gifts are included in our class gift/reunion class gift?

All contributions to the college are included in the class gift totals.  Follow your passion and donate to Smith College in any of the following Funds: 

• Smith Fund (General support which is usually scholarship aid)
• The Centennial Class of 1975 Endowed Scholarship Fund
• General Scholarship Aid Fund
• Ada Comstock Scholarship Aid Fund
• International Students Scholarship Aid Fund
• Neilson Library Fund
• International Programs Fund
• Equity and Inclusion Fund
• Faculty Support Fund
• Career Services Fund
• Curricular Support Fund
• Facilities Fund
• Student Life Fund
• Study Away Fund
• Sustainability Fund
• Emergency Fund for Students of Color
• Friends of the Library
• Friends of the Botanical Garden
• Friends of the Art Museum
• Friends of Smith Athletics

Some types of bequests, such as charitable gift annuities, count towards the class gift.  Fifty percent of other bequests, if they are $10,000 or greater, will count for our 50^th Reunion gift. 

What are the giving categories?

• Gifts of any amount are welcome and very much appreciated. All gifts count towards the participation rate and class gift, no matter how large or small.
• Grecourt Society– People who have included Smith in their estate plans in any amount.  For more information, go to http://www.smith.plannedgiving.org .
• Smith Stars– People who have given to Smith for 5 or more consecutive years.

All other Smith College giving opportunities are also available at this site. Remember, all gifts to whatever designation you select count for our total 50^th reunion gift. 

To see the full panoply of giving options go to smith.edu/giving. 

• To make a gift by telephone or to make a pledge, call 1-800-241-2056, option #1, M-F, 8:30am-4:30pm ET,
• To make a gift by mail, send a check to Smith College Gift Accounting, 33 Elm St, Northampton, MA 01063.
• To make a gift of stock,call 800-526-2023, option #5, or 413-585-2681 during business hours, Monday-Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
• To make a gift by means of one of several other vehicles such as through your will, from your IRA or with an annuity that pays a fixed income for life, call 800-241-2056, option 4 or go to http://smith.plannedgiving.org/smith/giving/1.html
• To become a member of the Grécourt Society, the society that honors individuals who have indicated that they are remembering Smith in their wills, IRAs, life insurance or other estate planning documents, go to http://smith.plannedgiving.org.
• If it’s easier, just reach out to me, Jody Angevin, Fund Team Coordinator
  781-640-4846, or jodyangevin@gmail.com 

SPECIAL GIFTS

Happy Birthday-and-a-Half, Classmates! Many of us have turned 70-1/2 or are about to, so it’s time to think about the best way to fund your 50 th Reunion gift! You could direct your IRA custodian to send up to $100,000 per calendar year directly to Smith as a Qualified Charitable Distribution or you could send a one-time gift of up to $53,000 from your IRA as a Charitable Annuity and create a lifetime income stream (currently 6.3%). Either gift can go to the Smith Fund or our class’s endowed scholarship fund. So easy-peasy! Talk to me for more information, Sam Samuels in the Development Office ssamuels@smith.edu or go to https://smith.plannedgiving.org/new-incentives.

Ann Sanford, Special Gifts Chair
419-297-5971, annies75@aol.com

PLANNED GIVING

Planned giving also supports Smith.  Wills, trusts, IRA’s and insurance policies are some options.  These can be unrestricted or made to the Class of 1975 Endowed Scholarship fund, or split.  It’s an easy process, and if you go to https://smith.plannedgiving.org or attend webinars (see schedule below), you’ll find all the information you need. Or email me for help!

Charitable Gifts Annuities – (Recording here), Passcode: ^5v*Cue4
   Powerpoint Milestone Classes 3-4-24 Annuities

Planned Gifts by Retirement Assets (Recording here), Passcode: B0bA^Ui!
Reunion Bequest Intentions  (Recording here)
 Powerpoint Milestone Classes 1-10-24 Bequest Intentions

Jill Nexon Berman, Planned Giving Chair
305-790-7999  jillnberman@gmail.com